Instead of buying a new holiday home they asked me to help them renovate a traditional Irish cottage.

Two years on and many beach walks later I can say that all the Kerry beaches are beautiful.

Naturally I haven’t just seen all the best beaches, (12 of which have been given prestigious blue flag awards!)

• I’ve walked the dog on them – He’s definitely a big fan!
• Fished, surfed and windsurfed off them,
• Cantered horses along them,
• Played on the world class golf courses at the back of them,
• And, of course, photographed each of these fabulous beaches.

• the beaches,
• the warmth of the Irish people,
• and the traditional way of life that still exists in this lovely part of Ireland.

My family’s visits, to check up on progress on the house (...yeah right,) just keep becoming more and more frequent.

And my sister loves to bring her cycling, surfing and windsurfing gear over on the Swansea to Cork ferry.

Or go hill walking on the many peaks of Ireland’s largest mountain range, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks.

Mum and Dad walk around:

• the lakes of Killarney National Park,
• or the lovely market town of Kenmare – famous for great seafood restaurants and manufacturing traditional Irish lace.

By the evening we are always exhausted, but smiling from ear to ear.

We meet up again by the fire in our favourite pub and enjoy fantastic seafood chowder, a creamy glass of Guinness and some lovely traditional Irish music.

My friends keep returning too. With them my exploring has reached new levels including:

A boat trip out to the monastic World Heritage site of Skellig Michael.

Climbing Ireland’s highest mountain Carrantuohill (...only 46 metres higher and it would be as tall as Mt Snowdon!)

And even things I would never have tried before like deer stalking and fly fishing for salmon and trout.

It was my friends who encouraged me to write about all these things on this web site.

They all say:

• "It is a great place to relax and unwind from the pace of modern life."

As well as writing on my favourite Kerry beaches and all the activities I’ve done with friends and family I will also be writing about -

• Mum’s favourite self catering cottages and b&bs (...the cottage took longer to finish than expected!)
• My friend Jon’s guide on flights from America to Ireland, cheap car hire and how best to transfer from Shannon airport.
• Best Kenmare and Killarney Hotels – including our guide to the most relaxing spas.
• The finest golf courses in Ireland.
• Where to see Dingle Peninsula’ biggest celebrity, Fungi the friendly dolphin!
• My thoughts on the best spots to find great value Kerry property.
• The tastiest restaurants.
• Gamekeeper Steve's advice on hunting, shooting and fishing.
• Why we think Kerry is the best Ireland wedding location.
• And many other great things to see, eat and do during your Ireland vacation.